Bradley sets U.S. sights squarely on Gold Cup

JEFF RUSNAK ON SOCCER

May 27, 2007|JEFF RUSNAK ON SOCCER

Bob Bradley's first assignment as U.S. national team coach had less to do with coaching than it did with getting a crash course on the administrative side of the job.

Bradley went unbeaten in four games as interim coach, but that was easy compared with having to come up with rosters for two major tournaments -- the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Copa America -- that the U.S. will play consecutively next month. Bradley can't take the same team to both. His European-based players just finished their seasons and need a break before returning to training camps in July. His MLS call-ups just began their season and would have to be away from their clubs for at least a month.

"Certainly, throughout this year we have made decisions that we felt took into account a player's situation with his club, his need to be at training in order to make it in a first-team place and factors like that," Bradley said Thursday. "... But nonetheless we wanted to establish a clear idea that these are both important [tournaments] and it's our responsibility to field very good teams."

The United States has made the Gold Cup its top priority, judging by the 23-player roster Bradley named last week. Bradley called 12 European-based players for a tournament the United States will host. Seven of the 12 were members of English Premier League sides in the season just completed: goalkeeper Tim Howard, midfielders DaMarcus Beasley and Clint Dempsey, and defenders Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Spector and Jay DeMerit. Of that group, only Howard, Dempsey, Bocanegra and Spector will return to EPL next season.

The MLS contingent for the Gold Cup includes Landon Donovan, who Bradley did not disqualify as a candidate to play in both tournaments.

"I'm hopeful to have Landon be a part of as many games as possible with our national team," said Bradley, who won't name his Copa team until next month. "He's an important part of what we're doing."

The Gold Cup will be played June 6-24 in six U.S. cities, including Miami, where the tournament will open with a doubleheader featuring Haiti, Costa Rica, Canada and Guadeloupe. The Americans are grouped with Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and El Salvador.

The United States opens Copa America in Venezuela on June 28 against Argentina, possibly leaving Bradley just two full days to train his team, assuming the Americans reach the Gold Cup final, as expected.

He said between eight and 12 players from the Gold Cup roster will play in the Copa. The rest will likely be comprised of young MLS talent who will get a baptism of fire in matches against Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia.

"It's not perfect, but we will travel as a team to Venezuela on Monday, June 25," Bradley said. "MLS players who are not a part of the Gold Cup roster will play with their MLS teams through that weekend."

Gold Cup doubleheaders will be played June 6, 9 and 11 at the Orange Bowl. Tickets are $20-$80 and are available by calling 954-241-0791. Match times are 7 and 9 p.m.

Riquelme's genius

Behind a gold-plated performance from midfield architect Juan Ramon Riquelme, Boca Juniors scored an emphatic 2-0 road win over Paraguay's Libertad to advance to the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores. Boca missed several scoring chances in the first half, but Riquelme set matters straight with a goal from 20 yards.

Boca will begin a two-leg series Thursday at unheralded Colombian champion Cucuta, a 4-2 aggregate winner over Uruguay's Nacional. Boca is vying for its sixth Copa title and fourth since 2000. At least one Copa finalist will come from Brazil, which will match Santos and Gremio on Wednesday in the other semifinal. Pele was in attendance to see Santos, his former team, get second-half goals from Jonas and Rodrigo Souto to eliminate Mexico's Club America on 2-1 aggregate. Gremio beat Uruguay's Defensor Sporting in penalty kicks after the teams tied 2-2. ...

AC Milan's 2-1 win over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League didn't rate with Copa Libertadores matches in terms of quality or creativity. Liverpool will attempt to address its limited attacking options this summer and is reportedly targeting West Ham's Carlos Tevez and Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o. Tevez scored seven goals in his last 10 EPL games to keep West Ham from being relegated. Eto'o said he isn't leaving Barca.